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A Target Simulation for Studies of Radar Detection in Clutter

A high fidelity simulation of the coherent signal samples produced by a low-PRF shipborne pulsed Doppler radar when observing a sea-skimming anti-ship missile moving through precipitation above the sea has been created. The modelled radar system uses a phased arry antenna and has the ability to vary the parameters of the transmitted wave from from burst to burst. The output of the simulation is designed for combination with the output of clutter and signal processor simulations so that target detection in clutter can be examined. A complete description of the physical models used in the simulation and their mathematical implementation is presented. Example output data were used to derive propagation factor values, which were then compared with the output of the TERPEM commercial software package. Received power values were also derived from the example data and compared with the output of a multifunction radar simulator (ADAPT_MFR). Good agreement between the data sets was achieved, except for expected differences found at ranges near the radar horizon ("intermediate region"). Thus, this simulation is capable of producing realistic and useful signals for target detection studies. It is recommended that the simulation be upgraded by intergrating the TERPEM software. This will allow propagation to be correctly considered near and beyond the radar horizon, thus extending the applicability of the simulation.